How do I you say "I liked"? As in..."I liked learning Irish". I guess the copula is out of the question for this, because "ba" is conditional, right? Would you just use the past tense of bain?
I know this is a question of ultra retarded proportions (I know I've already learned this, I just can't put my finger on it!!)

Thanks my lovely gaeilge geniuses :P

'Ba' is more like 'non-present', incorporating the conditional, rather than a strict past:

is maith liom Gaeilge a fhoghlaim
ba mhaith liom Gaeilge a fhoghlaim

There is a range of ways -wait for someone to flesh it out

I would use "Thaithin" here.

"ba mhaith liom Gaeilge a fhoghlaim" - to me, this means "I would like to learn Irish!"

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taitneamh [ainm briathartha][ainmfhocal firinscneach den chéad díochlaonadh]
lonradh, soilsiú, dealramh (an ghrian ag taitneamh); sult, sásamh aigne (bhain sé taitneamh as; níor thaitin sé leis).

GRMA Aonghus...could you tell me more specifically why? Mó "Leabhar Mó Bhriathra na Gaeilge" tells me that verb means "to shine"...?? lol

could you tell me more specifically why? Mó "Leabhar Mó Bhriathra na Gaeilge" tells me that verb means "to shine"

If you use taitin with some form of le, it changes the verb's meaning:

Thaitin sé go mór liom (It pleased me greatly)

""ba mhaith liom Gaeilge a fhoghlaim" - to me, this means "I would like to learn Irish!" "

I know, but I was not answering the poster's question; rather I was answering a point I brought up myself, that the copula might be considered to have a present vs. non-present distinction

I gave you the definition from an Folcóir Beag:

taitneamh [ainm briathartha][ainmfhocal firinscneach den chéad díochlaonadh]
lonradh, soilsiú, dealramh (an ghrian ag taitneamh); sult, sásamh aigne (bhain sé taitneamh as; níor thaitin sé leis).

lonradh: to shine
soilsiú: to light
dealramh: appearance
but also
sult: pleasure
sásamh aigne: intellectual satisfaction

What Cionadh says is also true.

quote:

that the copula might be considered to have a present vs. non-present distinction

Is fíor dhuit.
But it would require additional context to clarify the meaning in this particular case, and it would be very unusual usage.

quote:

could you tell me more specifically why? Mó "Leabhar Mó Bhriathra na Gaeilge" tells me that verb means "to shine"

If you use taitin with some form of le, it changes the verb's meaning:

Actually it's not that idiomatically far-fetched.
Taitíonn girseacha liom -- they shine with me.

Thanks Aonghus. :)

Fáilte romhat, a Mháire Dhubh!

Seachain an girseacha, a Phádraig. Táim cinnte go bhfuil bean do sháraithe orthu!

A Aonghus,
Níl eolas do 'sháraithe' agam. Cad is brí don fhocal sin? An bhfuil sé 'vulnerable?'

sárú - exceed, defeat

bean do sháraithe - the woman who will exceed, defeat you!

Ha...I was hoping you didn't mean rape...lmao.

Focal eile a thaitníonns liom "diongbháil". B'fhearr liom go mór fada "fear mo dhiongbhála" a fháil ná "soulmate".

"Céile cúnta a dhiongbhála" nár fritheadh d'Ádhamh i measc bheithígh an mhachaire agus éanlaith an aeir, nárbh ea?

'Thug mo chroi taitneamh duit'

Eibhlin Ui Laoire writes of her first sight of Art,her future husband.She meant ,of course ,that she had fallen in love.But the literal meaning is :My heart gave a shine to you.If you have a crush on someone in Cork you are still said to 'have a shine 'for them.

quote:

"Céile cúnta a dhiongbhála" nár fritheadh d'Ádhamh i measc bheithígh an mhachaire agus éanlaith an aeir, nárbh ea?

B'ea.